Quotes of the day

[cwo_ghwebb]

“The problem, as far as our political process is concerned, is that half the electorate revels in Palin’s lack of intellectual qualifications. When it comes to politics, there is a mad love of mediocrity in this country. ‘They think they’re better than you!’ is the refrain that (highly competent and cynical) Republican strategists have set loose among the crowd, and the crowd has grown drunk on it once again. ‘Sarah Palin is an ordinary person!’ Yes, all too ordinary…

I believe that with the nomination of Sarah Palin for the vice presidency, the silliness of our politics has finally put our nation at risk.”

“[T]he accusation here is not really that Palin lacks experience; it is that she lacks the right experience. She attended the University of Idaho, entered a beauty contest, joined the NRA and a church where people speak in tongues and was elected to govern a state with few Starbucks.

Obama rose quickly from Columbia to Harvard Law, taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago and joined the most exclusive club in America, the Senate. Even with no governing experience, he can claim what might be called ‘elite experience.’ And this is enough for elitists…

Americans who support Palin are not fools, peasants or theocrats. They have reasons, which elites may not agree with, but cannot dismiss. Many are attracted to her because she embodies the values of the American West, which they find superior to the values of coastal elites. This was part of the appeal of Goldwater and Reagan—a log-splitting, range-riding conservatism that emphasizes freedom. (Palin adds moose hunting to the list.) It’s not irrational or simplistic for voters to prefer candidates who reflect their deepest values…

Elitists can be badly wrong. Populists can be resoundingly right. It is values that often make the difference.”

So here’s the message Palin is sending on behalf of the rest of us (the down-market masses Dems love at election time and ignore once the voting’s done): The rule of the snobs is over. It’s time to give one of us a chance to lead.”

Great contrasts in thought between those who have the right experience and right colleges, therefore, groomed to lead versus someone who didn't graduate from the right college and has only executive experience, much at the grassroots level.


Quotes of the day